Sunday, October 16, 2011

We continue with the rest of the compositions with which I participated in various composition tourneys in Jesi, Italy, during the World Chess Compositions Congress.
When a composition has a defect or it happens that the judge dislikes it or it is weaker than the compositions of other composers, then it does not take a distinction. We do our best to create a very nice position but, as it happens in life, this is not always possible. Some of the compositions, when we examine them later without pressure (and with more experience), can be improved. This is something that the experienced judges see or feel, and that is why their opinion is useful.
In a previous post we saw five compositions, let us see now and the rest of them.

11th Japanese Sake / 3rd Brazilian Cachaça Tourney

In a Series self(stale)mate of n moves, the White alone makes n-1 moves without checking and in the last move the immobility of Black is raised and the Black achieves the goal (mate or stalemate).
We know that a white pawn starts from the second line and is promoted in the eighth line (for black : seventh and first, respectively). With the condition of Reversible Promotion, a white promoted piece stepping on the second line (for black : seventh) becomes pawn again.

The Japanese Judge Tadashi Wakashima commented : "Very nice presentation in two solutions of three promotions and two reversals (wB in the first solution and wS in the second one).".
The price was accompanied by a bottle of Japanese Sake.

The Japanese Judge Tadashi Wakashima commented : "Allumwandlung with two pawns".
The price was accompanied by a bottle of Brazilian Cachaça.

I worked several days to make this problem. The computer software were not of real help because the moves were too many and the time needed was too much (about 45 hours). At the end the very fast solver Kostas Prentos helped me with the validity checking, and I thank him.

The plan of White, to check with the Queen at d3 forcing bBb5 to capture it giving mate, has some obstacles. First there is no Queen, second many black pieces (Qa7, Bb6, Sb2, c4, Rd2, Re7) can intervene to a threat of mate from d3, and furthermore bK has a flight f4. And the bBb5 cannot guard d3 because bPc4 stands in the way.
The pawn bPg6 is needed for column change of wPh2 going to be promoted at g8, but if it was positioned at g5, a second unwanted solution appears with 1.h8=S.
The key should not be promotion to Queen because the second move 2.Qxc3 would check the bK.
Similarly for the move 8.a8=R, if we had a promotion to Queen it would check the bK. And then only the path Ra8-d8-xd2=P is valid, not via a2!
The Queen will be needed at the end and also a piece to guard f4. If the pawn wPh2 should be freed, we observe that bPh3 can be captured only by a Knight without giving check to bK!

In the fourteenth move the Knight cannot capture the rook (14.dxe7?) and also solve the problem in 27 moves. So bypasses it and postpones the closing of the line of bR (and also guarding f4 from there) for later. How much later?
Before e6 is occupied, the Queen must pass over it, 25.Qg8xc4, and only then 26.Sf4-e6.
Finally in this composition we have the four promotions (=allumwandlung), Bishop, Rook, Knight, Queen.

The Japanese Judge Tadashi Wakashima commented : "Three promotions and three reversals by a single pawn".
Here I have gathered the maximum number of obstacles (without promoted black force) to the White plan.

The Dedication is because the Judge Andrey Selivanov found that the initial position I submitted {7b/8/3S1k1P/2P3RP/Q7/pp2p3/p4p2/Kb3r2 w} had a flaw (unprovided check 1...Kxf5+ in the set play). The version here is corrected.

I hope that I have given you an idea of the creativity frenzy that exists during the world chess composition congress. Think about several other composing tourneys I did not participated and the important fact that there were many composers there better than me.

The Judge Diyan Konstadinov wrote [Six different solutions, but with Not homogeneous play].

METAXA Tourney Jesi (Italy) 2011 in memoriam Albert H. KNIEST

The Greek Judge Pavlos Moutecidis (who has started the custom with local wines to accompany the prizes) asked the following.
Theme : Selfmate Maximummer with set play. No limit on the number of moves. The total number of pieces should not exceed 10. Other fairy conditions or pieces are not allowed.

It is a Miniature, it has switchbacks of pieces, underpromotion, Pelle movement (done by a pinned piece).
It contains the theme white Chernous ("A white piece A theatens the black King. A black piece is self-pinned to stop the threat. Then the White unpins B, the piece A self-blocks the white King and the black B delivers mate"). (The theme Chernous has reversed colours).
No distinction.

Exercises of the day

Every day the website www.shredderchess.com offers to the readers of the blogs three easy chess exercises. They are given in three levels of difficulty, (L1, L2, and L3), and you may give the solution by moving the pieces with the mouse pointer. Below the diagram is then shown if the answer is correct or not.

If you miss OTB play...

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